Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy Rating

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on DDS. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Dillard’s in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Dillard’s from $200.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th.

Dillard’s Trading Up 0.7 %

DDS stock opened at $363.02 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $443.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $416.23. Dillard’s has a one year low of $328.00 and a one year high of $510.00. The stock has a market cap of $5.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.34 and a beta of 0.89.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $13.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.84 by $3.64. Dillard’s had a net margin of 9.55% and a return on equity of 32.13%. The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $15.44 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Dillard’s will post 33.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Dillard’s

In related news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.45, for a total value of $130,035.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $505,836.15. The trade was a 20.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 33.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Dillard’s in the third quarter valued at about $125,388,000. Clientfirst Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Dillard’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $48,873,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Dillard’s by 107.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 77,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,266,000 after acquiring an additional 39,858 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Dillard’s by 3,989.8% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 37,790 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,315,000 after acquiring an additional 36,866 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Dillard’s by 47.0% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 81,779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,307,000 after acquiring an additional 26,132 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.15% of the company’s stock.

About Dillard’s

Dillard’s, Inc engages in the retail of fashion apparel, cosmetics, and home furnishings, and other consumer goods. It operates through the Retail Operations and Construction segments. The Retail Operations segment comprises sells cosmetics, ladies’ apparel, ladies’ accessories and lingerie, juniors’ and children’s apparel, men’s apparel and accessories, shoes, and home and furniture products.